Caskey can go for free

MIDFIELD star Darren Caskey heads the list of a string of players being shown the door at Madejski Stadium.

Jimmy McIntyre and Scott Howie, who are also out of contract this summer, have been told their services are no longer required.

And the Evening Post has already revealed that Lee Hodges, Andy Gurney, Alex Haddow and Chris Smith – who has signed a two-year deal with York City – are on their way out of the club.

Neil Smith, who still has another year to run on his current deal, is also free to go should a club come in for him and Adam Lockwood is expected to leave, with Forest Green leading the chase.

Skipper Phil Parkinson, Ricky Newman and Adrian Whitbread are all set to sign two-year deals and young striker Nathan Tyson has been offered a one-year contract.

Manager Alan Pardew is looking to add a couple of new faces to the squad over the summer with Notts County’s Andy Hughes a top target.

The big clear-out is down to the budget being slashed after Sunday’s bitter play-off final disappointment at the hands of Walsall.

But it is Caskey’s departure that will cause the biggest shock among supporters. His future has been in doubt for a long time as the 26-year-old, who is out of contract and available on a free, has been in and out of the side all season.

Pardew admitted: “I can’t offer anything near Darren’s valuation or his personal terms. If we had been promoted it might have been a different scenario, but he is now free to listen to offers from elsewhere.”

Caskey, who was unavailable for comment, is being tracked by a host of other clubs and Bristol City and Sheffield United are leading the chase.

However, the midfielder who was keen

to stay at Madejski Stadium, will keep his options open with Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth, Wimbledon, Wolves, West Ham and Wigan also in the hunt.

The former Spurs ace, who joined Reading in February 1996 for a then club record of £700,000, made 206 starts for the Royals, scoring 45 goals, including a staggering 23 last season.